Saturday night in Toledo, Ohio: Power and responsibility
June 2, 2020To protect and to serve. Five short, simple words on every Toledo police car that describe a lofty aspiration. To protect Toledoans. And to serve us. And in that short phrase lies the weight of responsibility expected of those carefully selected and trained to serve in the Toledo Police Department. We are told that police
Curbside service now available at Toledo Library branches
June 2, 2020The Toledo Lucas County Public Library recently announced that library materials are available for curbside pickup beginning June 1. “We know the community is eager to return materials and check out new material,” said the Library’s executive director Jason Kucsma. “We recommend that you continue to reduce unnecessary travel and defer returning your materials as
Protests Demanding Police Accountability Set For Saturday
May 29, 2020How long is a police officer with a history of misconduct held accountable? Locally, the Toledo Police Department retains officer disciplinary records for a maximum of five years, according to a negotiated agreement between the City of Toledo and the Toledo Police Patrolman’s Association Local 10. Varying levels of oversight The level of oversight and the rules
Lake Erie: Dead or Alive
May 20, 2020The Lake Erie Bill of Rights (LEBOR) – an innovative new law that grants legal personhood to Lake Erie with the intent of enabling stronger legal action against its polluters— is widely seen as Toledo’s frustrated response to government inaction. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has always had the ability to enforce provisions of the
Leadership in the age of COVID-19: Who will take the reins in City Politics?
May 4, 2020In case you missed it, the extended Ohio Primary Election is finally over. It began in mid-February with early voting. It was supposed to end on March seventeenth with in-person voting. And then all virulent COVID-19 hell broke loose. The entire election changed to vote by mail, culminating in a final accounting on April twenty-eighth.
Free Fallin’: City Budget Woes Are Here Again
April 22, 2020Sometimes we hate it when we’re right. Not long ago, as the COVID-19 lockdown began its stranglehold here in the Swamp, we predicted it would ravage City coffers. Most of the City of Toledo’s general fund budget comes from income tax revenue. Income tax comes from, well, income. Income assumes employment. It therefore wasn’t difficult